The deadly earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week continue to take a heavy toll. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez reported that at least 1,450 people have been killed, 3,150 injured, and more than 12,721 left homeless. Rescue teams are still working to locate survivors in the rubble.
Emergency forces, assisted by local volunteers and international rescue teams, are working around the clock in affected areas. Despite the days that have passed since the disaster, there have been moments of hope—including the rescue of a baby and a woman trapped under rubble for more than three days. Authorities hope international aid will help expand rescue efforts.
CNN reporters documenting rescue operations in the city of La Guaira reported another dramatic moment when a man was pulled alive from the ruins of a building. According to the report, civil defense workers and volunteers formed a human chain to carefully extract him, and after one team member signaled that the trapped person was alive, he was taken for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, the disaster is deepening the humanitarian crisis in the country, which has been grappling with economic and political difficulties in recent years. The healthcare system is under severe strain, and UNICEF estimates that some 680,000 children need humanitarian assistance. Residents in disaster areas are comparing the scale of destruction to the severe tragedy of 1999, when thousands died or went missing following floods and mudslides.